Rafael Nadal marches into last 32 of French Open
King of Clay through to last 32, while Halep and Osaka overcome blips
Rafael Nadal continued the strong start to his bid for a record-extending 12th French Open title yesterday with a comfortable victory over German qualifier Yannick Maden.
Nadal, 32, was in near total control against world No. 114 Maden bar some nervy moments in the third set, winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion will play Belgian 27th seed David Goffin in the last 32.
"He (Maden) is a good player. He had already won four matches so was full of confidence," said Nadal, whose Roland Garros win-loss record now reads an incredible 88-2.
"For me, it was an important victory."
The Spaniard wasted little time in wrapping up the first two sets on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Maden may have briefly allowed himself to dream of an outrageous upset when he twice broke to level at 3-3 and then 4-4 in the third set, but Nadal put him back in his place with two quick games to seal victory.
Nadal appears to be hitting form at just the right time, after following three consecutive semi-final defeats on clay with the Italian Open title before arriving in Paris.
Meanwhile, Roger Federer continued his fine run in Roland Garros with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over Germany's Oscar Otte.
In the women's event, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina will face 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza in the women's third round after the ninth seed's compatriot Kateryna Kozlova pulled out of the tournament with a viral infection.
Spain's Muguruza, the 19th seed, eased to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Swede Johanna Larsson to advance.
Earlier on Tuesday, defending champion Simona Halep overcame a second-set blip with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win over Australian Ajla Tomljanovic to reach the second round.
World No . 1 Naomi Osaka also had to battle back - from a set and a break down - to defeat Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 0-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 to extend her winning streak at the Slams to 15 matches. - AFP
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now